Inspired by a visit of the church of Santa Croce. David Hendin recalls to us the story of Helena, mother of Constantine, a "rags to riches" story, which ends with the first Christian pilgrim establishing the tradition of pilgrimage to the Holy Land and bringing to Rome pieces of the True Cross...
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Do you know, why there were money changers in the Temple of Jerusalem and how much they did earn? No, you don’t? Well, then you should read the article of David Hendin on this very special detail of every day’s life in the ancient Holy Land...
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Matthew 17:24-27 reports that Peter found a coin in a fish’s mouth, which was meant for paying the Temple tribute. David Hendin explains what kind of coin it was and what was the most common silver coin in the ancient Holy Land...
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Present-day Nablus in Palestine had an intriguing history in antiquity. On near-by Mount Gerizim an old sanctuary of the Samaritans was situated which the Greeks and Romans re-interpreted and dedicated to Zeus. Only coins bear witness of the former significance of the temple.
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A new exhibition, organized by the American Numismatic Society in conjunction with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, illustrates the economic and religious aspects of the coins of the Near East...
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Archaeological excavations permit a new view on one of the most contentious religious places of the whole world, the Jerusalem Temple Mount. Until now it was believed to be erected by King Herod. Coins point to a later completion...
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Actually, numismatics concentrates on quite a narrow space in Jerusalem. There is the Israel Museum, which accommodates beside its own collection the Israel Antiquities Authority as well. And only a fifteen minutes’ walk from there you will find the exhibition of the Bank of Israel. Follow us today to a visit at the Israel Museum.
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In the course of an archaeological excavation in southern Israel nearby Qiryat Gat a treasure hoard was found some weeks ago. Around 140 gold and silver coins and sumptuous gold jewellery date probably to the Bar Kokhba Revolt 132-135 AD.
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A very generous couple of collectors donated 1,200 Persian coins to the Israel Museum, most of them minted for the Palestinian provinces. Among these coins a drachm may be the first known to be minted for the province of Judah.
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The coin collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna presents until September 13, 2015 the exhibition “Coinage and Power in Ancient Israel“. The pieces from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem demonstrate the political and religious changes ancient Israel experienced.
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Three extant bronze portraits of Emperor Hadrian are brought together for a first-time display in Jerusalem’s Israel Museum featuring loans from the British Museum and the Louvre. The exhibition concludes the Israel Museum’s celebrations of its 50th anniversary.
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It is never easy to write Jewish history. Too many emotions are involved. The Maccabean Revolt is no exception. By including the coins, David M. Jacobson arrives at a much more nuanced picture. Ursula Kampmann has taken a look at his book.
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More than 600 coins and related objects from the end of the sixth century BCE to the British Mandate were found at Khirbet Qeiyafa (Israel) during the 2007-2013 excavation seasons. Now a comprehensive excavation report of the numismatic findings has been published.
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An important hoard of silver coins dating to the Hasmonean period was exposed in an archaeological excavation in Israel. The site shows that Jews lived there among Pagans – and they did not mind using Seleucid money while instigating the Maccabean revolt.
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An ancient papyrus fragment that includes the name “Jerusalem” in its text is now part of a continuing political argument which was lightened by a UNESCO resolution. Kate Fitz Gibbon explains what has happened.
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In 2016, a content-rich book on a private collection of gems, finger rings and seal boxes was written in Tel Aviv. The objects of the collection all have one common trait: they were all found in Caesarea Maritima. Ursula Kampmann has taken a look.
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A week ago the Israeli press announced a nine-year-old girl had found a Jewish coin from the time of the First Jewish-Roman War in the hotly disputed West Bank territory. Haim Gitler has now identified the coin as a replica from a museum.
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Numismatist Robert Deutsch has published ‘The Jewish Coinage During the First Revolt against Rome’ dealing with all the numismatic aspects of the First Revolt coins. He presents his monograph in detail here.
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